Strategic Partnership Spans Payments, Remittances and AI
Dunamu, the operator of South Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, has formed a strategic partnership with Visa to jointly develop stablecoin-based financial services and AI-driven commerce infrastructure.
The partnership, announced on Friday, will combine Dunamu's digital-asset infrastructure with Visa's global payment network. The stated research areas include stablecoin payments, cross-border transfers, merchant settlement and new user experiences, alongside business models built on agentic commerce — transactions initiated and executed by AI agents rather than human operators.
Specific launch timelines, target regions and which stablecoins will anchor the services have not been disclosed.
OUSD Under Consideration
Dunamu said the partnership will review potential usage of Open USD (OUSD) in future collaborations. OUSD is a dollar-backed stablecoin developed through the Open Standard initiative, a consortium-style framework in which participating businesses can mint and redeem tokens without fees or artificial volume limits.
The consideration of an open-membership stablecoin rather than a proprietary one is notable: it would keep Dunamu's payment rails interoperable with other OUSD adopters rather than locking the exchange into a closed loop, a design choice increasingly favored as global stablecoin rules harden around issuer disclosure and redemption rights.
Korea's Crypto Sector Courts Mainstream Finance
The deal lands amid a broader institutional push from South Korean financial groups into digital assets. This week, Mirae Asset laid out plans to build a digital asset business spanning crypto, stablecoins and tokenized assets, with a reported target of around $109 billion in scale, according to The Korea Times.
For Visa, the partnership extends a run of stablecoin integrations with major crypto venues, part of the card network's strategy of treating regulated stablecoins as settlement infrastructure rather than competition.
Why AI Commerce Matters Here
The AI component targets a market that barely existed two years ago: transactions executed autonomously by AI agents — subscription payments, procurement, machine-to-machine settlement — where stablecoins provide the programmable payment rail. Pairing Upbit's liquidity and custody relationships with Visa's merchant network positions both firms for a scenario in which agentic payments become a measurable share of digital commerce.
Neither company disclosed the financial terms of the partnership or whether Visa is taking an equity position. Dunamu said further details would be announced as individual service launches take shape.